Documents disclosures spark conflict
Cheong Wa Dae unveils newly-discovered dossier produced in Park era
By Kim Rahn
Political strife is brewing over documents the former Park Geun-hye government left behind at Cheong Wa Dae because they contain sensitive information about the former administration, including “unlawful orders” made by top aides to Park.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), which was the ruling party under the Park government, claims the document disclosure by the Moon Jae-in administration is political retaliation, as the papers can influence the ongoing trials of Park and other figures involved in the presidential corruption scandal that removed her from office.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Cheong Wa Dae deny the allegation.
It is also controversial whether making public the information violates the law on presidential records.
Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said Thursday they found more than 500 documents, produced between March 2014 and October 2016, in unused cabinets in the Government Situation Room of Cheong Wa Dae. They earlier found 1,600 documents at the offices of the civil affairs and political affairs secretaries.
The newly found documents contained methods to support right-wing civic groups financially, as well as discussions on how to deal with the National Pension Service’s vote on the merger of two Samsung Group affiliates, a vote that helped Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong take control of the group. Lee is on trial for allegedly providing bribes to Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.
The earlier-found documents included orders on issues including the blacklist of artists critical of the Park government, the Sewol ferry tragedy, the comfort women deal with Japan, the state-authored history textbook and elections.
The LKP claims the document disclosure is targeting ranking officials under the Park administration. Calling the move “political retaliation” by the new government, LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo said, “The Moon government, which took power thanks to the Park administration’s corruption scandal, is holding a propaganda campaign with a bundle of unidentified documents.”
DPK Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae rejected the LKP claim. “People have the right to know the truth about the corruption scandal,” she said at a party meeting. “The documents are key evidence of the Park administration’s unlawful directions.”
Minor opposition Justice Party floor leader Roh Hoe-chan said in a radio interview, “If Cheong Wa Dae shows documents which were actually not left, it would be a fabrication and political retaliation. But the Park administration itself left the documents behind, so it is not political retaliation, but self-harming by the previous government.”
The LKP also claims that making public the documents is illegal because they may be confidential presidential records subject to sealing.
According to the relevant law, presidential documents worthy of being preserved as historical records should sorted and moved to the Presidential Archives before a president’s term ends. As Park was impeached, Park’s aides did the sorting hastily under the direction of then acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, and they designated many of the records to be sealed for 30 years.
The LKP asked the prosecution to investigate spokesman Park and other Cheong Wa Dae officials for making public the documents without consulting Park’s former aides and officials at the Presidential Archives about whether the documents would be categorized as confidential presidential records.
Cheong Wa Dae said the disclosure was not illegal because the documents were not marked as presidential records. It handed copies of them to the independent counsel team that is acting as the prosecution in the trials of Park and other figures involved in the corruption scandal.
Choo also said, “If the documents were that confidential and important to be designated as presidential records as the LKP claims, those who left them at Cheong Wa Dae should be punished first.”